For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.

If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.

Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.

Michelle Obama

Here are only three passages of this lovely book, so many to choose from.

It’s an easy reading, and what impressed me is the simplicity of it. Her words feel like she is having a cup of tea in my kitchen telling me her stories.

I was thought if I could choose authors to have a dinner with, I’d pick Virginia Woolf and Emily Dickinson, two strong women, each one fighting their own battles, one in the 1800s, another in the 1900s. Now for sure, I’m adding Michelle Obama to the list to represent the 2000s. It would be a wonderful dinner.

my first sight, from the window of a plane, when we moved here was this river. i knew that my home had to be close by it, i didn’t want to go anywhere far from this blue water.

yesterday i took the day off, first day of spring and i decided i am worth of this ‘me gift’ to enjoy nature. I had a long walk by the river, stopping on its small beaches along the way. it was so refreshing and healing. in each corner i could see the earth transforming, getting ready for the warm days ahead.

hope you had a wonderful day, and don’t forget to give yourself a ‘me gift’!

happy first day of spring! it’s a good day to reflect on what matters, what we should keep up with, and what we should let go.

my friend Gina, singledust, is hosting a poetry challenge this week at dVerse, i couldn’t resist the topic, so i’m joining in!

“I am hosting Poetics this week contemplating the Tanpura Principle in writing. Do you have a poetic hum in the background of your life that inspires your writing? How does your non-creative life affect your writing process? Tell us in a poem this week at dverse!“

balance

not sure how I got here influenced by others of course the vanity of having a Ph.D. degree to understand the nature of beings to find the cure meetings and people competitions and deadlines hiding my feelings and not showing weakness perfection in each moment Stop, breath and listen looking for freedom I isolate myself solitude and silence writing outside the lines messing up letting my feelings explode between colours and paper clips to find a balance to breathe my true-self next day I’ll be ready a smile on my face a word of encouragement a surprise of a new result observing the miracle inside a cell keeping my words and feelings for later on when they will lay down on a piece of paper

If Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If the lemons are rotten, take out the seeds and plant them in order to grow new lemons.

Louise Hay

I bought these pretty lemons this week and I had to take this photo before slicing them. For few minutes I was completely involved in the process of photography. I thought about the container to put them, I decided a bowl would be ok, so which bowl should I choose, a white one or a blue? The place and the the perfect light for the photo. My iPhone or my Nikon?

I spent few minutes in one activity that I love, photography. This could mean nothing, if I wasn’t getting ready for a work meeting, that I was freaking out about! I had to pitch few ideas that I knew before hand some people weren’t happy about them. I needed this time for myself as a ‘me gift’ to refocus.